Gate hinge and closing device.



W. A. FRAZIER.

GATE HINGE AND CLOSING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 9, 1915.

1, 174,405. Patented Mar. '7, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

THE COLUMBIA purjoalzAm-x c0. WASHINGTON, n. c.

I w. A. ERAZEER.

GATE HINGE AND cLosme DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED-SEPT. 9, 1915.

Patented Mar. 7, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- vwewtoz 14 iZZiamJEr 1:66 NH/ Mums WILLIAM A. FRAZIER, 0F GENEVA, IOWA.

GATE HINGE AND CLOSING DEVICE.

T 0 all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM A. FRAZER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Geneva, in the county of Franklin and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gate Hinge and Closing Devices; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in gates and more particularly to a gate hinge, and the primary object of this invention is to provide an improved hinge of this character whereby when the gate is swung to open position, the same will be held firmly and securely, and cannot be accidentally released.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved gate hinge whereby when the gate is held in open position, and it is desired to close the same, it is merely necessary to lift the gate and move the same forward whereby it will be closed by gravity owing to the peculiar structure of the hinge.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved gate having therein a small gate to allow hogs, and other small animals to pass therethrough, without opcn-' ing the large gate.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which is simple and durable in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, and one which will be very efficient in operation.

With these and numerous other objects in View, my invention consists of the novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts which will be herein referred to and more particularly pointed out in the specification and claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevation of my improved gate hinge showing the same applied to the gate; Fig. 2 is an elevation of the hinge partly broken away showing a portion of the gate held therein in open posi-- tion; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the hinge showing a portion of the gate held therein in open position; Fig. 4 is a perspective View of the improved hinge member.

In describing my invention I shall refer to the accompanying drawings in which similar reference characters designate cor- Specification of Letters ?atent.

Application filed September 9, 1915 Patented Mar. 7, 1916.

Serial N 0. 49,737.

responding parts throughout the several views and in which the numerals 1 and 2 indicate two vertical upright supports, the

'gate being hinged to the upright 1 and connected by some latching means to the support or upright 2 when in closed position. The gate which is designated by the numeral 3 may be of any preferred form, for instance as is shown in the drawings as comprising a frame of tubular metal piping 4:, connected by the usual union couplings 5, and havingin one of its lower corners a smaller hinged gate 6. This smaller hinged gate 6 is adapted to swing open to allow small animals such as hogs etc. to pass therethrough whereby it is not necessary to open the gate 3. The gate shown in the drawings has a plurality of horizontally and vertically extending wires 7 which form the body of the gate held within the frame. 1

The gate 3 is hinged at one of its ends to the vertical upright support 1 by means of a pair of hinge members which are designated by the numerals 8 and 9. The hinge member 9 consists merely of an eye 10 having a projecting shank 11 that is securely positioned through the support 1. The eye 10 is adapted to surround, and have a sliding engagement with the rear end of the gate 3. This hinge member 9 liasga slight movable or swinging engagement with the said gate, for a purpose to be hereinafter more fully described.

The hinge member 8 which engages the upper rear corner of the gate, 3, comprises a pair of substantially V-shaped wire members 12 and 13 which are spaced one above the other, and are each formed of a single piece of bent wire. These substantially V shape-d members 12 and 13 are secured or bridged at their extremities by plates 14. and 15 which are in turn secured to the up right support 1. These plates 14 and 15 are secured to the support 1 by any preferred form of fastening means for instance, by-bolts 16, projecting through apertures in the said plates'and into the support 1, as clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. The extremities of these upper and lower wire members 12 and 13 are screw threaded, and are adapted to project through the opposite ends of the plates 14 and 15, but have no threaded engagement therewith. The members 12 and 13 are slidable freely through the extremities of the said plates and are adapted to be secured at various desired positions thereon by means of looking nuts 17, which are engaged with the extremities of the said members, and are positioned on either side of the supporting plates. By means of these locking nuts 17 the said members may be secured in various longitudinally adjusted positions for a purpose to be hereinafter describe-d.

The substantially V-shaped lower member 18 is slightly flexible, and is adapted to act as a support or brace for the upper V-shaped member 12. This lower substan tially V-shaped member 13 is positioned in the same horizontal plane throughout its entire length. The V-shaped member 12 which is spaced above the member 13, has adjacent its supporting plate 16, bent portions 18, which portions are bent semi-circular in form, and extend downwardly, so as to form a pair of opposed parallel seats for a purpose to be hereinafter more fully set forth. The portion of the upper member 12 that projects forwardly past the said seats extends downwardly, and has its ends or apex firmly secured to the apex of the lower member 13. This downwardly projecting portion of the upper member 12 which is designated by the numerals 19 and 20, is adapted to form a substantially V- shaped cam face for the gateas Wlll be hereinafter described.

This gate is connected at its outer end to the vertical upright support 2 by any desired form of latch member such as that .shown at 21, and the said latch is of such construction as to allow the gate a vertical movement with respect to said support.

In operation when this gate is hinged to the upright support 1 as clearly shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, it will be noted that the upper inner end of the gate which is surrounded by a roller 22, will be positioned through the two substantially V- shaped' members 12 and 13 of the upper hinge member 8, and the rear upright bar of the gate will be slidably engaged with the hinge member 9 on the said support. It will be obvious that when the parts are positioned as above described and the gate is swung in either direction, owing to the fact that the roller 22 on the top bar of the gate 3 engages the V-shaped cam on the upper t -shaped member 12, of the hinge member 8, the gate will be swung upwardly along one of the cam faces, 19 or 20, according to the direction in which the gate is swung, until the same is positioned in one of the seats 18 which are formed in the V- shaped member 12 adjacent its supported plate. WVhen in this position, it will be obvious that the gate will be held at right angles to its former position, and will be firmly and securely held in open position.

The sliding engagement ofthe end bar of.

the gate through the eye lO'of the hinge member 9 allows the same to move up.

When it is-desired to close the gate, it is only necessary to move the same out of engagement with the seat 18in the upper V- shaped member 12, whereby owing to the downward slope of the V-shaped cam at the end of said member, the gate will automatically close itself.

When it is desired to lift the forward end of the, gate slightly to allow the same to move easily when snow has drifted beneath the gate, or for any other purpose, it is merely necessary to longitudinally adjust the upper ii-shaped member 12 rearwardly with respect to the gate, by means of adjusting the extremities of the same through the securing plate 14, whereby owing to the fact that the gate is held at the apex of the same, the ate will be lifted upward a certain predetermined distance according to how far the same is adjusted, for the purpose above set forth. possible owing, to the slight flexibility of the lower t -shaped brace member l3'which is' positioned below the .uppermember 12, and the swingingmovement' of the lower hinge .9.

From the operation of the above described hinge structure, it will be seen that the gate which may be easily and simply swung to open position and securely and firmly held there as long as required. When it is desired to close the said gate owing to the novel construction of the hinge member 8, immediately upon releasing the gate from its seat on the same, the roller will. engage the V-shaped cam face of the'upper portion 12 of the hinge member 8, and will slide down the same to the apex of the V which. brings-the gate to its normal closed position.

This gate is also raised and lowered a short distance at one of its ends owing to the longitudinal adjustment obtained through the hinge member 8, and the slight flexibility or upward and downward movement of the hinge member 9. This renders this gate especially adapted for farm use and like purposes.

This device is also applicable'for use on doors, or any similar use.

From the foregoing description of the construction of my improved device, the manner of applying the same to use, and the operation thereof will be readily understood and it will be seen that I have provided a simple, inexpensive, and efiicient means for carrying out the objects of this invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. A hinge comprising. a pair of substantially V-shapedinembers spaced one above the other and projecting laterally from a vertical support, the lower of said members being slightly flexible, a pair of seats formed on the upper member and the-forward por- This adjustment is tion of said member extending downwardly until its apex contacts with the apex of the lower member, means to secure said members at their contacting points, and the free ends of the upper member being movable transversely with respect to the vertical support whereby owing to the flexibility of the lower member the apex of the upper member may be rocked to raise or lower the opposite end of a gate mounted therethrough at one of its ends.

2. A hinge comprising a pair of substantially V-shaped members each formed of a single piece of wire, spaced one above the other,plates on the extremities of said members, said lates being secured to a vertical support, the lower one of said V-shaped members projecting in the same plane "wardly from saidv seats until its apex engages the apex of the lower member, the extremities of said upper -member being slidable through the said base plate, and

nuts on said extremities to secure the memher in various longitudinally adjusted positions. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM A. FRAZIER. W itnesses R. L. SALEY, SHERWOOD A. CLOCK.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

